PET owners in north Cumbria are being offered unlimited vet consultations under a new 'cost-of-living busting' initiative launched by Paragon Veterinary Group.

The Pet Protect club aims to help owners avoid sudden bills and manage their finances, the group said.

Paragon vet Graham Lewis says it will help clients avoid the bigger fees that often result from delayed treatment as people put off visits while juggling costs.

Mr Lewis said: “Our aim is for clients to know roughly what they have to spend per year, and monthly, so they can budget and have the peace of mind that they won’t be hit by an unexpected bill.

“If you take out Pet Protect and also have pet insurance you have basically covered everything – emergencies are covered by the insurance and all your routine care is covered by Pet Protect.”

Mr Lewis added: “Nobody wants unexpected bills and unfortunately pet health care is usually an unexpected bill and vet fees are something many people are struggling with.”

He said vets have seen a growing trend of owners putting off trips to the vet and often finding they face much higher fees to sort out the problem later.

“We want to try and take away some of the worry that can stop people from coming in,” said Graham.

There will still be fees for investigations, medications and surgery as usual, the group said, and an out of hours call-out fee – but no consultation fee for out of hours visits.

Pet Protect covers dogs and cats and costs £27 per month.

Paragon has centres in Dalston, Wetheral and Newbiggin.